Mountain Stage

Iris DeMent On Mountain Stage

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Singer-songwriter Iris DeMent makes her eighthappearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, W.Va. DeMent grew up in rural Arkansas with 14 brothers and sisters, immersed in gospel music and traditional country. Not surprisingly, her voice sounds as if it comes from the previous century, but her songwriting often has as much in common with Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell as Hank Williams.Merle Haggard once called DeMent "the best singer I ever heard," and her rendition of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" was featured in the closing credits of the Coen Brothers' remake of True Grit.DeMent's Mountain Stage set is drawn primarily from Sing the Delta, her first album of original material in 16 years. She's followed here by Mountain Stage pianist Bob Thompson, with his own take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust."